New Franchise Offers Training For Athletes

Flipping tires, pulling sleds and running sprints are all just part of a normal hourlong class at the Parisi Speed School at Fuse Family Fitness in Bentonville. The school has broken speed training down to a science and its pupils are athletes.

On Wednesday, Bill Parisi, the founder of the Parisi franchise, was at the gym for a two-day trip that will conclude today to see the Bentonville program firsthand. There are 40 Parisi Speed Schools in 22 states across the country.

Dr. Mike Trexler is the director of the school that has more than 250 young athletes in a sparkling gym that is only three years old. There are programs for athletes as young as 7 and as old as high-school age. Athletes from as far away as Fort Smith, Siloam Springs and Carthage, Mo. travel to work with Trexler and his staff.

During the school year, speed sessions start at 4 p.m. and in the summer business picks up with more classes throughout the day. There are three types of classes – agility, conditioning and speed. Trexler said the speed class is the signature class of the program.